Huntsville gazette., 1887-08-13
Vincent On the stand.


gomery, August 9, the State examined
their witnesses, relative to indictment
5255. as to the twenty thousand dollar
draft handed by Vincent into Fred VOL
ffe's bank, and endorsed by him as State
Treasurer. Nearly all the witnesses tes-
tilted pretty uniformly. to-wit: Vim
cent got the draft from the Merchants
and Planters National Bank Of Mont
gomery to the order OF Isaac H. Vincent,
State Treasurer, and handed il into
Wolffe's bank, endorsing said draft as
State Treasurer, and Wolffe's bank sent
the same for collection to New York.
The draft was given for margins due
Wolfe on cotton futures which Wolfe
transacted for Vincent in New York.
When the State rested, counsel for
the defense placed Vincent on the stand
to testify in his own behalf. His state-
ment as to his transactions with Wolfe
and others was pretty well sifted. Vim
cents memory seems to have left him
on many vital and important questions,
but was more explicit when he gave an
account of his whereabouts since his
fight. He was under the impression
that Fred Wolfe was fiscal agent of the
State, when he gavea draft of 10000,
which statement, however, was prev
iously denied by the State witnessed, Gil>
mer and Levine, former employees OF
Wolfe.
Vincent's testimony took up all the
evening. Vincent exhibited much ner-
vousness during the examination, and il
is freely expressed that the testimony in
his behalf did him more harm than
good.
The defense closed. The State will
offer some testimony in rebuttal to-mor.
row.
vINCENT's TESTIMONY.
At A O'Clock Vincent took the stand to
testify in his own behalf, he was exam
ined by Col. J. NJ. Falkner. of counsel
for the defense; he stated substantially as
| follows:
As to the specific bill of exchange for
$4,000 on which this case is based he
said he did not reccollect much about
the circumstances of paying it out to
Fred Wolffe's agents, but that it was his
custom to keep deposits with all the
bankers in Montgomery except,perhaps.
Farley, Spear & Co. He did not remem.
ber ever to have had any transactions
with that bank when he received certi-
ficates of deposits or checks on the city
banks. lie usually let the money re-
main in the bank until it was needed
for State uses. In this way he saved the
State several hundred dollars year
which had been formerly paid out fol
exchange to transmit funds TO New York
in payment OF the semi annual interest
on bonds.
He said he deposited this certificate ol
$50, 900 with Wolfe in the same way az
he did with other banks, and as he had
frequently done before with Wolffe's
bank. He positively denied that it was
paid to Wolffe's agents, as he credited il
on his cotton margin account, and if il
was so used it was without his knowl-
edge or consent.
He testified that he deposited money
in this way with Wolfe during the lat.
ter part of 1880 and that he got s11O,0CC
worth Of exchange from Wolfe, which
was used in paying the interest falling
due in January, 1881. To the best o1
his recollection the exchange was on the
| National Park Bank, New York. The
states fiscal agent in New York was the
Importers and Traders National Bank.
He further stated that afterwards, dur.
ing the years 1881, 1882. he had deposi.
ted at different times sums amounting to
about $3.50, 900 with the Wolfe house in
Montgomery. None of this money, he
said, was deposited to his private account
| for cotton margin use. He swore posts
lively that the only money he had ever
deposited with Wolfe for this purpose
was 81 900 OF his own private funds, a.
bout February 10th, 1880, and that after
that time Wolfe never called on him for
any margins in cotton speculation. He
l Testified that when he came to Montgom-
cry as private secretary to Gov. Hous
| ton he was worth about $500 himself,
and his wife had about $1,000.
While he was private secretary he was
very successful in making money deal.
| ing in State Horseshoe money and State
bonds. He swore that when he entered
the Office of treasurer he was worth in
money about $4,000, that witness had
deposited various sums Of money with
Fred Wolffe's house here, amounting
altogether to probably $27O, 600, and that
during the whole period of two years OF
more, while these deposits were made
witness did not use bank pass book OF
l lA.x-.a.A s.1.,, yVc1Nn ~ <bo o.oo o.r.